Leading from the Kitchen Table: Leadership Behaviours for a Disrupted World
Right now, business leaders worldwide are grappling with two unanticipated leadership challenges due to the global COVID-19 pandemic: sudden and catastrophic market disruption; and physical isolation and ‘social distancing’. How well prepared are leaders to remotely lead virtual teams through this period of turbulence and disruptive change?
This is the first in a series of articles that will explore enduring leadership behaviors and crisis leadership, and unpack what they look like for remote and virtual teams.
What the Hell Just Happened?
For most of us these last few weeks have been spent in isolation, repurposing our homes into makeshift offices, studios and play centres, trying to find some semblance of work-life balance. COVID-19 has left many free-falling towards catastrophe: physical danger, economic danger, psychological stress and social disconnection.
Without exception it’s been a period of change. Big change. Bewildering change. What the hell just happened change.
The business world has lurched online at hyper speed. Low- or no-tech businesses have, in the space of weeks, reached for new digital tools and solutions to steer through the rapids of economic downturn. All sectors of business, retail, hospitality, health and public welfare have experienced a sudden acceleration of digital transformation.
Exhilarating, right? Being on the frontline of change and disruption can be exciting, empowering and very rewarding. Without consistent and inspiring leadership, however, it just feels overwhelming and chaotic. Without great communication about strategy, culture and vision, disrupted teams can feel disempowered, unheard and frustrated.
Leadership Behaviours: (Anything but) Soft Skills
I’ve worked with a diverse array of professional associations, peak bodies and corporations in my career, and what I’ve observed is that technical mastery alone is rarely enough to get ahead. Sure, professionals need technical skills to do the job, but they must also consistently demonstrate leadership behaviours to be successful and develop their careers. These are the behaviours that predict ability to navigate through turbulence and uncertainty. Markets change, customer needs change and tools change: that’s a given. But when faced with uncertainty, will this person bend or break? Can they inspire others to adapt, collaborate and innovate?
This isn’t a new concept. There’s a mountain of business and management books and blog posts about these leadership behaviours, often under the catch-all ‘soft skills’. Like others, I’m loath to label these behaviours ‘soft skills’ because they’re anything but soft. They’re hard to master, and in a disrupted and chaotic world, they’re critically important.
Leadership Behaviours
1. Problem solving: critical thinking and decision-making
2. Adaptability: innovation, experimentation and creativity
3. Communication: ability to articulate a clear, inspiring vision and to listen
4. Collaboration: respect, self-awareness and value for relationships
6. Resilience: self-kindness, empathy, gratitude and ability to reframe
7. Integrity: humanity, trust and reliability
Leadership isn’t something that only bosses do, and it certainly isn’t something that just happens in the office between 9 and 5. These skills and behaviours are accessible to everyone and valuable in every aspect of life: in family, in paid work, in the community. Amid the chaos and distress of the COVID-19 crisis, examples of everyday adaptability, problem solving, communication and collaboration surround us. We’ve all seen inspiring examples of resilience, integrity and humanity in our communities, families and places of work.
Leading through Disruption
Right now, teams need talented business leaders who can navigate them through crisis and change. People need responsive and empathetic leaders who proactively create space for new approaches and ideas; champion communication and collaboration; and cultivate team resilience and integrity. Teams need to see these leadership behaviours in action — consistently — and they need to feel heard and understood. These things are exquisitely hard for managers to convey from the kitchen table, but they are more important now than ever.
If we accept that the nature of work has changed forever, and that technology, innovation and market disruption are certain in any potential future, then we should invest in cultivating these enduring leadership skills to inspire and support teams through change.
Learning new tech isn’t so hard. But ‘soft’ skills? They are hard to master and critical to the future of work.
